Book II: Unpredictable
by The Crystal Rose
Summary: With the threat of the androids in the past, life at Capsule Corporation has returned to normal. Except issues between Vegeta and Bulma have yet to be resolved and with a one year old toddler on the loose, life for the two stubborn beings has become unpredicatable. Continues till the Buu Saga. Sequel to Book I: Unnatural.
1. Prologue: Hope

_AN: _And here it is! The ever awaited first chapter to Book II! I hope you all like it! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I've also created a new story, _The Devil Within_, and it's about Vegeta struggling to overcome his past discretions. It's an extremely dark fic and the first chapter will be out by New Years and will _**only**_be published on my blog due to its high rating and content.

mistressofsorcery . wordpress . com

_CHAPTER SUMMARY:_ It hasn't been more than a month since the games ended and Bulma is struggling with the loss of her best friend while having to care for her son by herself. But she doesn't give up hope that _he_ will return.

_DISCLAIMER:_ DBZ and any accompanying characters, excluding Dr. Aki, do not belong to me… sadly.

_WARNING:_ This story is _Rated M_ for sexual content, adult themes and language. If you are offended by sexual themes or any reference to sex, adult themes, or the use of profane language; this story is not for you! You have been _warned_!

…_And onto the story…_

_Through the Looking Glass Book II: Unpredictable_

_Prologue: Hope_

Bulma sighed as she made her way up the steps from her private lab. She couldn't find it in herself to celebrate the ending of the games. They may have won, but she felt they lost so much in the end. Her thoughts, then, drifted to Goku. Her best and most loyal friend was no longer a part of this plane. His death had been felt by everyone and just the thought of his sacrifice brought unshed tears to the young scientist's eyes. No longer could she pick up the phone and hear his cheerful voice, no longer would she feel his hug whenever they reunited after a certain amount of time apart, no longer would she be able to feel disgusted and strangely amused as she would watch him inhale a feast fit for an army, and just those thoughts alone caused those unshed tears to spill down her cheeks as she mourned his loss.

The Games had been over for several weeks now and no matter the losses of a hard fought battle, life was forced to move on.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Bulma wiped at her eyes, attempting to rid herself of the heavy melancholy feeling that had settled over her ever since the end of the games and she pulled a small smile as she approached the living room where her mother and son currently resided. She could hear his giggles from all the way down the hall and she instantly felt better. She may have lost her best friend, but at least her son was safe.

She stood in the archway to the living room, her shoulder now leaning against the wall as she watched her mother tickle her son and for just a moment, she forgot all about the hardships they all faced these last few months.

But it only lasted a brief moment.

The moment her son pulled that all-too-familiar scowl when her mother stopped her tickling, Bulma was taken aback at the similarities between her son and his father. She had tried hard not to think of the Saiya-jin Prince since the incident, but occasionally, she was unsuccessful at keeping him out of her thoughts. For so long, she had felt betrayed by his actions, the words he had spoken to her nearly a year ago had seemed like an empty promise to her.

But no matter how long she tried to stay hurt, she knew she couldn't.

The day her feelings changed was the day her future son stayed one night at Capsule Corp before he left for his own timeline. They had both sat on the back patio, watching the sun set, basking in the peaceful moment, when he finally turned to her and broke the silence. She was curious most of the day why he was so quiet and had occasionally poked at him to find out what was on his mind, only to be met with a gentle smile, a shake of his head, and the simple word, "Nothing," a word that held more meaning that what it really meant.

After asking several more times, Bulma gave up, never expecting to hear what was plaguing her future son, only to be pulled from her thoughts when he indulged her the moment he lost his life. His voice had been soft as a whisper, yet gruff, his eyes were distant as he explained the moment Cell took his life and he never stopped in his story as Bulma gasped at the painful death he endured from a single blast to the chest.

But then, his words took on a warmer note when he explained about the moment Vegeta attempted to avenge him, from what Yamcha had told him.

Bulma bit her lip as she gazed down at the carpeted floor, his words ringing clear in her head.

"_He said he's never seen Vegeta lose it like that… He put his life on the line for me," Trunks whispered with a small smile._

_Bulma gazed at him in shock and Trunks turned to her and chuckled. "You told me once…in the future…that he was a good man; that you knew he cared, even if he never showed it. And when I came here, and finally met him, I didn't believe you…till then."_

"_You were right," he said with a soft smile before he returned his gaze back to the setting sun._

_You were right_, he had said. To this day, Bulma still had trouble believing his words, yet the look in his eyes told her it was the truth. And when she finally accepted it, all her anger, all her pain, the betrayal she originally felt melted away. Now, she just wished he would come back.

A burst of laughter broke Bulma from her melancholy thoughts and she snapped her gaze to her happy son, her mother returning to her tickling and she sighed.

She wouldn't give up hope.

He'd come back.

_oOo_

"And now, turn, lift your leg, and bend forward… Yes! Just like that!"

Bulma grumbled as she attempted the pose the woman on the screen was mastering perfectly. She lifted her leg and bent it forward before trying to reach down and touch the floor with the tips of her fingers.

_Oh my Kami, it feels like my legs are going to split apart!_

"Good! Now, inhale… hold… exhale… Fabulous!"

The young scientist growled in frustration before reaching over and grabbing the foam yoga block that was next to her feet and threw it at the screen. "Fuck you annoying yoga bitch!"

"Bulma! Don't swear in front of Trunks like that!" A voice scolded her from behind. Taking in a deep breath, Bulma returned to her standing position carefully and glanced behind her to see her mother holding Trunks' hand and she frowned.

"I didn't know he was in here," She defended rather lamely before giving her son a bright smile, her previous frustrations forgotten. "Hi baby! How was your swimming lesson?" She asked as she kneeled down and held her arms open for him to step into.

Trunks beamed and immediately let go of his grandmother's hand, his little wet form running across the room and crashing into his mother's embrace as he squealed, "Twunks swim, Mama!"

"Good job, sweetie!" Bulma encouraged as she lifted him into her arms, uncaring of his wet state as she bounced him on her hip. "Did he have any problems?" She asked her mother as he helped her son take off his little floaters.

Bunny shook her head. "No, not really. Although, he nearly gave me a heart attack when he jumped into the pool without his floaters. Thankfully it was in the shallow end…"

Bulma chuckled as she tossed his floaters onto the floor. "At least he likes to swim," she said simply as she reached over for the towel she was previously using and began to wipe him down. "Thanks for taking him, by the way. I've been trying to get rid of this baby weight. It seems I'll never get my old figure back," she sighed remorsefully.

"Oh, don't say that," her mother frowned and crossed her arms. "It just takes time. You just happened to gain a lot while you were pregnant. Who could blame you? You were carrying a half-Saiya-jin baby!"

Bulma rolled her eyes and sat Trunks on his feet once she was done drying him. She watched as he bolted to the other side of the room and began to play with his blocks. "I was a bottomless pit when I was pregnant with him. Now I know why," she said as she folded the wet towel and stood. "That kid never stops eating. I was so glad when I stopped breast feeding him."

Bunny nodded in agreement and held her hand out for the towel, to which Bulma handed her. "I'll go put this in the wash. Bring me his suit once he's changed and I'll wash that too."

"Okay, thanks," Bulma smiled as she stood and walked over to Trunks, shaking her head as she watched him build a somewhat complicated structure. She knelt down next to him and ruffled his semi-dried hair. "Ya know, baby, that building would be a lot more stable if the bigger block was on the bottom," she explained as she reached to correct his error.

"No, Mama!" He yelled with wide eyes, causing her to pull her hand back. He scowled at her deeply before he returned to building his structure, putting smaller blocks on the bottom while placing the bigger blocks on top.

Bulma sat there, unable to turn her gaze away from the back of her son's head. The look he threw her was pure Vegeta and it immediately brought her back to the old days when the Saiya-jin Prince used to live with her. For a moment, her heart skipped a beat at the reminder and she couldn't help but wonder. Where was the prince now? What was he doing? What was he thinking about? Did he want to come home? Did he want to see their son?

Did he want to see _her_?

She sighed and then shook her head when she watched his unbelievably tall tower sway and then crumble from the weight of the bigger blocks on top. Trunks huffed in annoyance and reached for the blocks to try again, never taking notice to his mother's thoughtful silence.

Bulma stood and pushed any and all thoughts of Vegeta to the back of her mind. "Okay, sweetie, we need to get you changed. Grandma wants to do laundry."

"No!" He frowned as he began to build again.

Bulma blinked. Had her baby boy just say no to her?

"Excuse me?"

When he didn't respond back, Bulma's previous good mood vanished and she stood. "Put your blocks away Trunks. Now!"

"No!"

Letting out a long sigh, Bulma bent down and took the block he was currently holding out of his hand and dropped it on the floor before placing her hands underneath his arms and picking him up. It didn't take long for little Trunks to burst into tears as she began to walk away. Normally, her son being in tears would pull at her heartstrings, but in this instance, it wasn't like him to talk back to her and she stood her ground. She bounded up the steps with her boy in her arms and made her way into his room before placing him on the floor as she rummaged through his little dresser for clean clothes.

"I'm not falling for your tears this time, Trunks. You do not talk back to me," she said sternly as she dropped the clothes onto the rocking chair. "You understand?"

He continued to cry as she picked him back up and took him into the bathroom across the hall. She sat him down on the toilet and began to run the bath before she sighed and rubbed at her forehead. His tears were getting to her. She couldn't help it. He was her little boy; she'd do anything for him.

"Sweetie, its okay…" Bulma said soothingly as she knelt before him, taking his little arms and pulling them away from his face so she could kiss his forehead. "It's okay, baby. Stop crying…" She began to rub his back as his cries started to ease and soon, he was only hiccupping.

Once his hiccups were only sniffles, she began to peel off his trunks before lifting him into the bath. She then turned the tap off and reached for the soap. Trunks glanced up at her with sad little eyes as she began to lather his hair.

"You can't talk back like that, sweetie," Bulma began to explain gently as she washed her son's hair. "It's rude. You don't want to be rude, right?"

His lower lip began to tremble and he shook his head, causing her to smile a little.

"Good. Being rude doesn't get you very far." She took a cup full of water and tilted his head back as she rinsed the soap from his hair.

She continued to bathe him, but his silence was starting to bother her. She sat the cup of water aside and took a hand full of bubbles from the water and blew them towards him, bringing a smile to his face. She repeated it again, the bubbles flying in every direction and floating all around him, and soon, Trunks began to laugh.

"Bubbles!" He squealed as he cupped some in his hand and blew on them, copying his mother.

"Bulma? Are you in there?" She heard her mother call her through the closed door of the bathroom.

"Yeah, I'm giving Trunks a bath," she yelled back as she gave her son a playful splash.

The door squeaked open as her mother came walking in and she smiled at the sight before her. Trunks sat in the tub; bubbles piled on top of his head as he shaped the frothy substance into a cone before he cupped some more bubbles and added them on top.

"What are you doing, you silly boy?" Bunny teased.

"Bubbles, Gwanma!" He cheesed.

"I see that," his grandmother smiled as she approached the tub.

"Did you come for his trunks?" Bulma asked as she glanced back at the dirty swimwear that was currently lying atop of the toilet seat.

"Yes, but it's no rush, dear."

Shaking her head, Bulma climbed to her knees before she stood, grabbing a towel from the left of her to dry her hands. "If you can finish his bath, I'll go finish the laundry. I have a couple of things in my room I want done, too," she requested as she gathered his trunks. "I left some clean clothes for him in his room when you're done and if you could, try to put him down for a nap?"

Bunny smiled and knelt down by the tub, her hands immediately going for some bubbles to add to his growing bubble hat. "Okay, sweetie."

Satisfied, Bulma left the bathroom, making her way down the hall to gather the remaining dirty clothes she had on the floor before she trudged down to the laundry room with the clothes in hand. Making her way into the small room, Bulma set the clothes on top of the drier with the rest and immediately began to sort through the lights, whites, and darks. She smiled and hummed to herself as she threw each different item of clothing into different baskets and as she grew closer to the bottom of the pile, a familiar article of clothing halted any and all movement.

She stared at it, her eyes semi-wide as she reached a trembling hand towards it, before she pulled it from amongst the bottom of the pile and immediately tears sprang to her eyes. In her hands she held _his_ spandex shorts and she clenched them tightly in her fists. Turning, she leaned her back against the drier, before she slid down into a sitting position, tears silently rolling down her cheeks.

It had been too long since she had seen him and the mystery of whether or not he was alright was beginning to bother her.

Why wouldn't he come home?

Bulma held the pair of shorts to her chest as she cried, her head tilting back against the side of the drier as she attempted to calm her rattled nerves and again, the small voice of doubt began to whisper. She frowned.

_He doesn't care_, it murmured to her. _If he did, he would've saved you. He would've saved Trunks. He doesn't care about you. He's not coming home._

And for just a moment, she believed the words. It had been so hard to hold on to that small spark of hope, but as time continued to pass that spark was beginning to dwindle into nothing.

And she wasn't sure how long she could keep it burning.

_oOo_

That night, Bulma stood over the crib, her hand resting on her sons back as she watched him sleep. It had been hard to put him down. She wasn't sure what it was, but he had a sudden aversion to sleep and loved to stay awake, no matter how tired he was. After an hour of wrestling with him, her mother came walking in with a warm cup of milk and then, not long after, the little tike was out like a light.

Bulma shook her head. Her son was so stubborn, he reminded her of herself.

"Bulma, sweetie?" her mother whispered to her from the doorway.

"Hmm?" She turned to face her mother with a questioning look.

"You should try to get some sleep, too. He's had you running around all day, I'm sure you're tired."

Bulma chuckled quietly as she pushed herself away from the crib. "It's called parenthood, something I'm still getting use to…" She followed her mother out into the hallway, making sure to leave the door cracked as she left. Just as she was making her way down the hall towards her room, she sighed exasperatedly and turned to head the other way, her mother frowning at her as she passed. "I forgot to get the clothes out of the drier," Bulma explained.

"Bulma, those can stay there, you need rest," her mother assured her.

"But—"

"No. I will worry about them in the morning, take yourself to bed, sweetie. I know you're more tired than you let on," Bunny said as she passed her and disappeared around the corner of the hall.

Bulma grumbled before she turned and began to head down the hall towards her room. Just as she was about to approach her door, she stopped and pivoted on her heels to glance down at a familiar door from across the hall.

For some reason, it didn't feel right to sleep in her room and instead, she found herself heading for the familiar door.

She gently pushed the door open and shivered at the emptiness of the room. It had been so long since anyway had occupied this room and they way it was left was completely untouched. Bulma sighed sadly as she closed the door behind her, her eyes on the empty, made bed in the corner of the room and the next thing she knew, she was crawling into the bed, the thin sheets wrapped tightly around her body as she snuggled the lone pillow that he once use to occupy.

She never even noticed the shadowy figure that quickly passed by the window behind her.

_oOo_

He didn't know why he was back, but after spending the last month in the woods, the comforts of a warm bed called to him… Or so he told himself.

It was late, judging by the false moon's position in the sky, and Vegeta knew everyone in the compound was asleep. He hovered over the large building, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed. It had been a long time since he had come here and he wasn't sure if he was even welcome back.

Unfortunately, he was told that if he ever left again, he would never be welcomed back. So, why was he here?

Oh right… He had a son. An heir that he refused to leave behind.

But unfortunately, the boy's mother also came with the package deal and if he were to stay on this miserable mudball, he would be forced to interact with the blue-haired harpy.

His left eye twitched at the thought and he turned towards the window of his room before he slowly came to a gentle land on the small balcony. At this point, he didn't care. It had been a hell of a year and his back was killing him. Laying on the ground for over a month, he concluded, was not in the least bit comfortable and the thought of grabbing a long hot shower was exactly what he needed.

Vegeta smirked at the idea of the luxury of a shower and bed, and he threw open the balcony doors, not even giving noticing how the doors were unlocked as he stalked into his old room. He never glanced towards his bed as he began to dismantle his armor, but when he heard a soft sigh, the Prince immediately turned on his heel, his hand held up, ready to attack whatever was about to pounce, only to falter when he noticed whom was occupying his bed.

Bulma lay there, asleep, her hand curled into the sheet while the other one hugged the pillow to her body. She took up the middle of the bed, making it almost impossible for the prince to slip in and he nearly growled. How dare she come in here and sleep in _his_ bed?!

Grumbling under his breath, Vegeta glanced down at himself and frowned. Blood, dirt, and grass stains covered his uniform and he knew he smelled. He couldn't wake her while he was in this state. He knew if he did, she wouldn't be able to keep a straight face… either that or she would screech at him to bathe.

With that thought, Vegeta turned and headed towards the bathroom with the intent to shower and then kick the onna out.

He wasn't sure how long he stood in there, but the scalding hot water felt good against his aching muscles and he couldn't help but bask in its soothing abilities. When it came time to wash, the prince frowned when he wiped the cloth over a particularly sore part of his body and he nearly winced… nearly. Glancing down, Vegeta noticed a long, gaping gash across his side and from the look of it, it was infected.

When did he get that?

Shrugging, he continued to wash, uncaring of the burning sensation he felt as he passed the cloth over the wound. He was a warrior and was use to wounds such as this. He'd deal with it in the morning.

Finally, he stepped out of the shower and began to towel off, before disposing of the soiled towel. Leaving the bathroom, he made his way into the closet in the bedroom in hopes that all his clothes remained there and smirked when he found everything was as he left them. He threw on a pair of spandex shorts and then turned to the bed where the unwelcomed figure currently slept, her back now to him when she rolled over something while he was in the shower, leaving a good portion of the bed open to him.

He approached the side of the bed with the intent of throwing her out, but as he leaned over to wake her, he frowned. Her face was scrunched up, her hands were clutching his sheet tightly, and just from the look of her slightly puffy face, he could tell she had cried recently.

He sighed as he straightened. What was wrong with him?

Was he seriously considering allowing her to stay in his bed?

Vegeta's left eye twitched once again before he decided to chalk up his sudden emotions to the fact that he was tired.

_Really_ tired.

Instead of throwing the onna out, Vegeta pulled back the sheet and sat down, before bringing his legs up to lay down completely. He couldn't believe he was doing this, but the thought of sleep was too tempting to resist.

He knew that in the morning, she would freak out at his sudden appearance, but he didn't care right now.

He'd deal with it in the morning.

_oOo_

_...TBC…_

_The Devil Within Summary:_ Vegeta is married to Bulma, and hasn't been married to her for very long. In his past, he's done some very terrible things, some that Bulma is much aware of and others that he never wants her to find out. However, due to the terrifying nightmares that haunts the Prince at night, Bulma comes to realize that there is much to her husband she doesn't know. And after a terrible accident, things begin to unravel between the two, revealing more than Bulma ever intended to know. Will they be able to make it work and can Bulma cure her husband of his past demons? Nightmares are something the Prince has always handled, but the truths behind them are something Bulma will have trouble stomaching.

Here is a sneak peak to _The Devil Within_… (Be warned, it is dark…)

"_You failed me," He said calmly, his eyes boring down on the young man that knelt before him at the edge of the dais. "I asked you to bring back the Lords youngest, untouched, and you brought me back this filthy, thin creature, who has clearly been defiled. You will tell me which one of your men had their way with her before me."_

_The prince bit the inside of his cheek but refused to answer. It was forbidden to touch any woman-slave before the Emperor had a taste of them and if he wasn't satisfied, the poor creatures would be thrown to the barracks for any solider to play with. And unfortunately, they never played nice._

_How was the prince to know that one of his own would go against his word?_

_They were flying over the barren land with the girl in Vegeta's arms when they were attacked out of nowhere. Snarling, the prince through the young girl in the arms of his trusted comrade, Raditz with the command to take cover and protect the merchandise before he flew off after the attackers, never realizing his mistakes when he came back to find the girls clothing torn, bite marks marring her once untouched skin and blood covering her thighs from an obvious forceful penetration and Vegeta closed his eyes in regret._

_It didn't matter what he could say to his lord and master, he was the one at fault. And for that, his team would bear the consequences, not just him… though he would experience the worse._

"_Not going to answer me, I see," Frieza murmured as he rose to his feet, his large tail thumping onto the ground behind him as he licked his lips. He turned to his second, Zarbon, and commanded, "Get the other two monkeys, take them to the pit. Their prince will join them shortly."_

_Zarbon smirked, causing Vegeta's stomach to churn at the ugly way it twisted his face, and he bowed deeply. "As you say, Lord Frieza."_

_Vegeta watched out of the corner of his eye as Zarbon left the throne room with nearly a bounce in his step before he returned his attention back to the lizard in front of him and what he saw caused him to swallow nervously._

_Frieza stood before him, obviously erect, and he nodded to the remaining patrons to leave the throne room, each door closing and locking. "Now, Vegeta, what am I to do with an already used sex-slave, hmm?"_

To read _The Devil Within_, subscribe to my blog! The first chapter will be posted by or before New Years!

I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of Book II!

Until next time my lovelies,

Crystal


	2. Chapter One: Determination

_AN: _I need to apologize to you all. This chapter isn't as long as I'd like it to be for a reason. I had a really hard time focusing on it while getting my projects done for school and on top of both school and work, I got sick. That's life for ya! I'm still adjusting to my new schedule… it's a completely different schedule than what I'm use to, so it's taken a lot out of me. So, I'm sorry, I'll try to make the next chapter a bit longer.

Also, updates are going to be random. I'm not going to set exact dates anymore (tried to with the new page Kami's Lookout), I thought I could shuffle work, school, and writing, but come to find out, I just can't keep to a deadline, so whenever I find the time, I'll write!

_The Devil Within_, the prologue chapter, has been published to the blog! If you are interested in reading a darker fic about Vegeta's past and how Bulma struggles to help him overcome his inner demons, then I suggest you subscribe to my blog to receive the updates of that story because it **will not **be updated to FF due to its extremely high rating and graphic content (please read the summary page before venturing to the actual story!)

mistressofsorcery . wordpress . com

_CHAPTER SUMMARY:_ Bulma awakes to a surprise… And we get a look inside Vegeta's POV.

_WARNING:_ This story is _Rated M_ for sexual content, adult themes and language. If you are offended by sexual themes or any reference to sex, adult themes, or the use of profane language; this story is not for you! You have been _warned_!

…_And onto the story…_

_Through the Looking Glass Book II: Unpredictable_

_Chapter One: Determination_

Bulma groaned heavily as the rays of the morning sun shone through the blinds of the window above the bed. In a desperate attempt to escape the coming morning, the young scientist buried her face deeper into her pillow and snuggled closer to the warm source that was next to her, never realizing where the warmth was actually coming from. She sighed as she began to slip back into the welcoming darkness of sleep, only to be jolted awake when she felt a weight around her waist tighten a fraction and her eyes flew open in a panic. Her heart began to race when she took in her surroundings, not recognizing the room as her own, and then she glanced down to see a tanned arm wrapped possessively around her waist and the panic turned to fear.

Bulma screeched and flung herself up into a seated position, her hands now clutching the soft pillow as a weapon and she threw it against the body without a second thought repeatedly. The next thing she knew, the pillow was yanked from her faster than she could see and thrown against the wall with a resounding thud, her wrists pressed together to stop any future assault and her body now pressed to the unexpected bedmate, her eyes meeting the familiar furious onyx pair of Vegeta.

She gasped.

"V-vegeta?" she stuttered, dumbfounded.

"Who else did you expect, moron? This _is_ my room, you infuriating onna!" The prince snapped and released her hands, giving her a slight shove and he watched amusingly as she fell onto her back with a squeak, her head hitting the wall before she could catch herself.

Grumbling about his manhandling, Bulma rubbed at her head as she pushed herself back into a seated position. "Well, excuse me! I didn't expect to see you here, you've been gone for over a year, jerk!"

"It is still my room, onna, which begs the question: _why are you in it?_" He cocked a brow curiously.

Bulma went to answer his question, but when her answer came to the front of her mind, she shut her mouth firmly and blushed lightly. The real reason she came to his room was because she was feeling lonely. She had _missed_ him and she knew that if she told him that, things would be more awkward between them then they were now.

So instead, Bulma said this, "I must've gotten tired after I cleaned and accidentally fell asleep on your bed."

Vegeta's brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. He knew she was lying but decided not to push the issue. As he sat up, he demanded, "Don't make a habit of it," before he slipped out of bed and made his way into the bathroom to wash her scent off him.

Bulma blinked after him and she frowned. Was it just her or had he been acting strange? Instead of dwelling on his behavior, Bulma climbed out of the bed and marched down the hall to the nursery to check on her son. She smiled as she made her way into the room, her baby boy sitting up in his crib waiting for her like he normally did in the morning. The moment she made presence known, Trunks beamed and stood up, his arms held up in a silent request to be let out.

"Hi, sweetie! Did you sleep okay?" Bulma asked as she lifted Trunks from his crib.

"Food!" He demanded the moment he was in his mother's arms.

Bulma chuckled as she lifted him from his crib. "Okay, okay," she said as she settled him on her hip. "But first we need to clean you up and change you. Today's going to be a big day for the both of us!" She exclaimed, earning a confused look from her son as she carried him off towards the bathroom.

A big day was an understatement.

Today was going to be huge.

_oOo_

Vegeta grumbled as he sat at the head of the table. The moment he had approached the dining room, the blue-haired wench's mother had zeroed in on him before gushing all over him in affection. Again, Vegeta wiped at his cheek with disgust in an attempt to rid himself of the feel of the dimwit's lips. He had been completely caught off guard, the smell of the food his only focus as he waltzed in, and when the blonde ditz threw herself in his arms… well, more like his chest, was quite startling.

It took almost all of the prince's control not to smash her head in as he peeled her off his chest and commanded that she serve him his breakfast. And with a smile, and a wink, Bunny bounced away cheerfully, happy to oblige the "sweet boy."

And now, here he sat, his fingers tapping on top of the large table, his eyes darting back and forth taking notes of the changes to the compound. There weren't much, but most of the changes stood out like a sore thumb. His eyes settled on the high chair that was currently sitting next to him and he frowned.

He had thought about his son often while he took refuge in the woods, the boy's death a constant repeat in his mind and he couldn't help but wonder what the infant version was like. He had only seen the brat once or twice since he was born, and at those times, Vegeta paid the kid little attention; the androids being his primary focus. But then, things changed.

And it started when he spent time in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with his future son.

He hadn't known it at the time, but it was then he allowed the teen to worm his way into Vegeta's mind and oddly enough, his heart. There were instances when Vegeta began to realize just what was happening and when he did, he took his frustrations out on the one at fault.

Trunks.

Yet, that didn't last long. He could remember the day when he was particularly harsh on his future son, his training more intense and fast paced, all because of the previous nights conversation. Trunks had been talking about his mother, how she had raised him alone, how she was the strongest and kindest being he knew and Vegeta could tell his son was looking for a reaction from him, and when the prince didn't give one, Trunks had just shook his head.

But when Vegeta had gone to bed that night, his son's words affected him more than he realized, causing him to question his place in his son's life. Which led to the intense training, the harsh hits, the more powerful ki blasts, and Trunks took it all.

Only until Vegeta had cracked… He had screamed at the young teen to quit his yapping while calling him a mistake and his mother an imbecile… as well as a few choice words. But Vegeta wasn't able to get far and the next thing he knew, he was waking up on the floor of the chamber, gazing up at a pair of fiery blue eyes glaring back at him, ones he was all too familiar with, and he couldn't help but think of the onna who had given him the exact same look countless times.

He was proud that his son was able to knock him unconscious, but he was angry at allowing his emotions to get the best of him.

And when they were able to leave the chamber, Vegeta distance himself from Trunks as much as he could until that faithful day.

Witnessing his son dying was a reality check for the prince. He had come to realize something very important, something that terrified him, and it was something he knew he could escape from no longer.

He wanted to be in his son's life, he wanted to be his son's father.

And when he finally came to realize that important bit, Vegeta decided that returning back to the compound wasn't a smart thing to do.

He needed time to think. So, instead of returning to a world that was familiar and comfortable, Vegeta took shelter deep in the woods, hunting, meditating, and thinking. He knew that if he returned to the compound, he wouldn't be able to leave. He'd be giving up his "legacy" and putting the death of his people behind him. He knew he'd have to interact with the onna on his son's behalf and that was something he wasn't looking forward too.

After coming to terms with what he was giving up, Vegeta had finally decided to return to the compound, knowing that the path he was now choosing wasn't going to be easy.

A sound behind Vegeta snapped him from his thoughts and he turned his head to see Bulma coming down the steps, Trunks nestled on her left hip and a block in his right hand. He stiffened and when he went to turn away, Bulma caught his eye and she smiled at him, before carrying Trunks over towards him.

Immediately Vegeta tensed even more, thinking the onna was about to _force_ him to hold his son. But when he watched as she placed him in the high chair next to his seat, he relaxed significantly and turned his gaze away before he seemed too interested in the brat.

Yet it was too late. Bulma had caught his long stare and smirked. She knew he was curious and it was just plain luck that he chose the seat right next to the high chair. She continued to strap her son into his chair and once she was done, she smoothed his now dry hair down as she greeted Vegeta.

"Good morning, Vegeta," She said pleasantly.

He grunted in return and sat back in his chair, his fingers returning to the drumming along the tabletop impatiently as he waited for his breakfast. The aromas that wafted his way made his mouth water and he nearly forgot that his son was sitting just three feet away from him.

Bulma continued to gaze down at him, a deep frown marring her face, before she turned her gaze back to her son who was staring curiously at the strange man that was sitting next to him. He glanced up at his mother and pointed to the man, silently asking who he was and Bulma smiled gently.

"That, my sweet boy is your _Daddy_," she replied in hopes of gaining a reaction from Vegeta.

It worked.

The moment she had mentioned that dreaded word, Vegeta's gaze snapped to them both before he turned his attention to his son. His lavender hair made the prince's lip curl in disgust and the fact that he had no tail, thanks to his mother, made his blood boil with anger. His gentle eyes, the perfect copy of his mother's, were just that. Gentle and innocent. He couldn't see the warrior he had spent a year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with in this child. And the fact that one of his small hands was currently gripping his mother's shirt while the other held a block did not set well with Vegeta.

He would have to change that.

Vegeta watched as Bulma sauntered off towards the kitchen with a smug look, before he continued to analyze the young boy next to him. His ki, though impressive for one so young, could be so much more if he were born on Vegetasei. His weakness was another thing Vegeta would have to work on. This boy was entirely too dependent on this planet's gravity; it had handicapped him, made him weak, and that was something Vegeta would not allow.

A small bowl of what looked like mush was set before the boy and Vegeta shook his head when Bulma placed a kiss atop the young one's head.

That was another thing that would change; his dependency on his mother.

The woman coddled the brat entirely too much. It inhibited the boy's ability and potential to be _better_.

When the food was finally set on the table, Vegeta forced any thoughts of change to the back of his mind as he filled his belly with a home cooked meal. He would never say it out loud, but he had missed the blonde ditz's cooking.

"So, are you staying?" A voice asked, causing him to halt any movement.

He glanced up to see Bulma seated opposite of Trunks, a small spoon in hand as she helped to feed him, but her eyes weren't on her son. The hope in the depths of those blue eyes made the prince swallow what he was chewing slowly and he sat up straighter, his fork clenched in his hand.

"I just… I just want to know if you plan to be around… for Trunks' sake," Bulma sighed as she ran a hand along Trunks' lavender locks.

He sat quietly, his mind going over her question. It was the same question he had asked himself while he meditated in the woods. Was he going to stay? He had long since decided that he was, but now that she asked, he couldn't help but question himself again.

But then, his eyes settled on his son whom was currently making a mess of his food, his face covered in the mush. That was enough to wash any and all doubt away. His son needed him to stay, he needed to become stronger.

So, with his head held high and a determined look in his onyx eyes, Vegeta announced, "I will not abandon my son."

Relief was apparent as it flashed across her eyes and she nodded before they both returned to their previous tasks.

_oOo_

Vegeta sat on the edge of his bed, the sun attempting to glitter through the closed curtains, his hands clasped together, his elbows resting on his knees. He had been expecting a big outburst during breakfast, more of a large spectacle from the onna about him being gone for nearly a year, leaving her to tend to their son, but when he received only gentle questioning, he was surprised to say the least.

Immediately after breakfast, the first thing the prince wanted to do was train, but he stopped himself. What did he have to train for now? He wasn't leaving for space anymore, he wasn't going to be able to retrieve his throne and take over the universe like he had once hoped to do, the androids were long gone, and Kakkarot was dead. The challenges he had always wanted to face were no longer in his reach, so what did he have to train for?

His jaw twitched and he turned his body so that he was lying on the bed, his one arm resting above his head with his hand dangling off the edge and the other resting on his stomach. Was he supposed to take this time to relax? How was he supposed to do that?

Relaxing was never a part of his life and it made him somewhat uncomfortable to think that now; he had the time and luxury to just lay there on the bed and not worry.

No, that's wrong.

He had something to train for, something to worry over…

He had to train for his son, to prepare to train his son.

Now, he knew Trunks was too young, so he would wait, and he would use that time to train himself.

Only after he took a nap first…

_oOo_

Bulma trudged up the steps, occasionally bending over to pick up a few straggling toys here and there as she made her way down the hall towards her room. It had been an odd day. She only saw Vegeta at breakfast before he announced that he was going to train and disappeared outside. But when she went out to check on him, the simulator's light was off and no one was inside.

She had been hoping that he would stick around the compound with the intent to get to know their son, so when he disappeared for the rest of the day Bulma was met with disappointment. Was she expecting too much of him on his first day back? She didn't crowd him at breakfast and only asked if he was going to stay, to which he had replied that he wouldn't abandon their son.

"Ouch!" Bulma cried as she lifted a foot to see a lone red car on the floor and she grumbled as she picked it up.

To be perfectly honest, laying underneath her worries and doubts, she couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen between them now that he had decided he was going to stay. To say she didn't miss him was a lie and she could tell that he didn't believe her when she said she had just miraculously fallen asleep in his room. But what could she say to him? That she missed him, wanted him back, and sought out his room for comfort?

Things were already awkward between them, what with how they left things when they last saw each other. That thought caused Bulma to wince. It was stupid of her to go to the battlefield with her son and though she still felt hurt that he never caught her when she fell, she couldn't help but place the blame on her shoulders. She finally took the time to get over her betrayal, but still, the bitter feeling occasionally reared its ugly head.

Yet, it didn't change how she felt about him. Once upon a time, Bulma clung to the man when she realized her feelings were deep and that only lead to him escaping to space. It wouldn't be like that this time. It made her stomach churn just to think how she once acted around him, like an emotional out-of-control teen in love.

No, she would make sure this time would be different.

As she continued to pick up the last few toys that lay scattered about, Bulma vowed to herself that she wouldn't chase after the prince like a lapdog in heat.

This time, she wanted him to come to her.

_oOo_

…_TBC…_

The next chapter will be longer; however I am not promising an exact date of when it will be out. I'll work on it as much as I can when I have the time, I already have a good idea of where I want things to head, so be prepared for a bumpy ride!

_**The Devil Within Warning**__:_ That story will not be posted on FF due to its extremely graphic content. The story will contain rape, violence, profane language, and explicit sex. Its rating on my blog is NC17 and is ONLY for mature audience! I won't be held accountable for who decides to read that story, it is up to you. You've been warned fairly!

_**The Devil Within**__:_ The story is set during the seven years between the Cell Games and the Buu Saga. Vegeta is married to Bulma, and hasn't been married to her for very long. In his past, he's done some very terrible things, some that Bulma is much aware of and others that he never wants her to find out. However, due to the terrifying nightmares that haunts the Prince at night, Bulma comes to realize that there is much to her husband she doesn't know. And after a terrible accident, things begin to unravel between the two, revealing more than Bulma ever intended to know. Will they be able to make it work and can Bulma cure her husband of his past demons?

Until next time, my lovelies!

Crystal


	3. Chapter Two: Come and get me

_AN: _I posted _The Devil Within_ on MediaMiner to gain more readers toward the blog, if you all want to check it out there (yet I'm finding it extremely difficult to post it, MM seems to be having technical difficulties and doesn't want to accept Word Documents, even though it says they do!). My username is the same there; however it will be posted on my blog before I post it to MM… if I don't get frustrated with their system…

Also, I am in the process of creating a Writing Community, hence the reason for my lengthy absence. I've put forth a lot of my time into this site and I hope it's a success. I am going to need Moderators to help (basic knowledge of HTML is a plus and you must have a passion for DBZ/Bulma/Vegeta) with the site. If you're interested and would like to see the site (I'm using Ucoz as a host) then, please PM me and we'll work something out.

mistressofsorcery . wordpress . com

unnaturallovers . ucoz . com

_CHAPTER SUMMARY:_ A month has passed and Vegeta is ignoring his son. What is Bulma going to do about it?

_WARNING:_ This story is _Rated M_ for sexual content, adult themes and language. If you are offended by sexual themes or any reference to sex, adult themes, or the use of profane language; this story is not for you! You have been _warned_!

…_And onto the story…_

_Through the Looking Glass Book II: Unpredictable_

_Chapter Two: Come and get me…_

A month passed since Vegeta's return and to Bulma's disappointment, things returned to normal. He continued his training, attended meals regularly, and returned to avoiding her. Her initial decision to have him come to her wasn't exactly working out like she had hoped, but then again, it had only been a month and she told herself that she couldn't expect much within that short amount of time. It was Vegeta after all.

After giving herself that pep-talk, Bulma acted as if everything was fine. She gave him his space, but as the weeks went by with him also avoiding their son, she decided that it was time for a change. She knew that for him, staying for his son was a big step, but after allowing him to adjust back to his "normal" life at Capsule Corp for the last few weeks without any interaction with their son was beginning to anger her.

He always kept his head down at meals and whenever they passed each other in the hall, it almost seemed like his pace would quicken just to get away from her. She wasn't sure what she did or why it seemed like he was avoiding her, but avoiding their son was downright baffling. Trunks was the reason he was staying, so why was he acting odd?

Bulma eyed him as she fed Trunks another small piece of her pancakes (even though he had already finished his breakfast). His head, as usual, was lowered; his sole focus on his meal. She knew he knew she was watching him, and she could tell just from his body language it was annoying him. He was tense, his grip on his fork was straining to the point the utensil was near bending, and that one lone muscle in his jaw twitched ever few seconds. But she wasn't going to give in. She was tired of being ignored; she was tired of her son being ignored. If anything, he would be acknowledged even if she wouldn't be.

Sensing the tense atmosphere at the table, Bunny glanced between Vegeta and Bulma before she stood and took Trunks in her arms, murmuring to Bulma that she was going to take him for his swimming lesson and Bulma nodded, giving her son a small smile as he waved back at her before she returned to her heated glaring.

Throughout the rest of breakfast, she continued to throw icy glances Vegeta's way, occasionally making long exhale noises and even scrapping her fork across her plate just a tad too hard with the knowledge that the noise would affect his sensitive hearing. She smirked as she glanced up from her plate to see his jaw twitching again, his eyes shut tight and as she exhaled again, he snapped.

"Must you be so fucking annoying, onna?!" Vegeta snarled, his bent fork being slammed onto the table in his anger, immediately straightening the utensil.

Bulma blinked innocently at him. "Oh, so I exist now? I thought with the way you've been taking off so quickly and not speaking to me that I, apparently, wasn't real to you," she said bitingly.

His eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed. You haven't said barely two words to me since you've been back and on top of it all, you're ignoring Trunks! I thought he was the reason you're staying, so why are you acting like he doesn't exist?!" Bulma glared at him, her plate pushed away from her so she could rest her elbows on the table in a challenge.

"I am not ignoring my son," Vegeta defended as he leaned forward in response to her silent challenge.

Bulma scoffed. "Could've fooled me, Vegeta. Tell me, when was the last time you stayed in the same room with him for more than five minutes?" When he opened his mouth to defend himself she cut him off. "When did you acknowledge him as your son? When did you say _anything_ to him? When did you hold him? When was the last time you _looked_ at him?"

Again, the muscle in Vegeta's jaw twitched and he took a deep breath before leaning back into his chair, his fingers coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose harshly. The damn onna had no idea what she was talking about. He had an interest in his son! Just because he wasn't fawning over the brat didn't mean anything. The reason he wasn't around much was because he was preparing to train the boy, couldn't she see that?

Vegeta cracked an eye open to see Bulma was still ranting and raving, her arms now flailing about and what little patience the prince had diminished. He slammed a hand on top of the table, causing all the dishes to jump and clang together, immediately hushing the onna as she jolted in surprise.

"What do you want from me you infuriating wench? I have told you I would stay for him, I am preparing to train him to become a warrior, what more do you want from me?" He snapped.

Bulma shook her head in astonishment. "I want you to at least acknowledge him, Vegeta! Stop acting like he's invisible and start realizing that he's real!"

"I am not going to baby him like you! My son is a warrior and will be treated as such! The way you cater to him is an insult to my race! He is capable of feeding himself; he is capable of walking himself! When I was his age, I could wipe my own ass, change my own clothes, and manipulate my ki! I had already made my first kill! You are holding him back!"

"My baby will not be a monster like you; I'll make sure of it!" Bulma said before she could stop herself, and her eyes widened at her words before she slapped a hand over her lips in shock.

Vegeta sat there silently; his icy stare boring into her shocked and apologetic gaze.

"Oh Kami, Vegeta, I'm sorry, I didn't mean—" Bulma began, only to stop when he held a hand up, his head turning away from her.

"Don't," He said simply, before he pushed his chair back and stood.

"Vegeta, wait," she pleaded when he turned to leave the room.

He turned back to her with a look she thought she would never see.

Hurt.

He was hurt by her words and Bulma mentally slapped herself for her stupidity.

"I didn't mean it the way it came out…" She began, her hand held out in a silent apology.

Vegeta shook his head. "No, you're right," his hands fisted before he gave in and sat back down. "He won't be like me. He'll be better."

They both sat at the table in silence, neither knowing what exactly to say. Bulma sighed and rested her chin on top of her clasped hands as she gazed sadly at the man next to her.

"I can't do this by myself," she began. His head twitched her way and she turned her stare to the table top. "It may not seem like it, Vegeta, but I do need you. _He_ needs you…" She sighed before leaning back in her chair. "I just want him to know his father."

Vegeta sat there, absorbing what she said. It wasn't a declaration of love (thank kami) nor was it an _I-need-to-be-with-you_ plea. The way she spoke was like she didn't expect anything to happen between them, she was just asking him to be _present_.

And for some unknown reason, Vegeta respected her request.

He tilted his head forward and exhaled. "I'm not going anywhere, Bulma. You know this."

She nodded, her mouth twitching at the rare use of her name. "I know…"

Vegeta closed his eyes. They way she said that almost sounded disbelieving. Why did he want to change that? Why did he want her to believe him? What was wrong with him? Once upon a time, he could've cared less what she thought of him, but now, it bothered him that she didn't believe him.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and murmured defeated, "What do you want me to do?"

Bulma met his glance with one of her own and shrugged. "You say you were preparing to train him…? Why not teach him how to swim?"

Vegeta's brow furrowed. "You mean to tell me that the brat doesn't know how to swim yet?"

Why was he not surprised?

Bulma shook her head with a slight smile. "We've been working with him for a few weeks now, but with the way my schedule is, I haven't been able to take him everyday like I had originally wanted too. My mom's been helping me with it when I can't take him."

She nearly coughed a laugh at the horror on his face.

"You are letting that ditz of a woman teach our son how to swim?" Vegeta stood and began to head towards the rec hall.

Bulma watched him go and with a knowing smile, she called after him. "Where are you going?"

He snarled over his shoulder, "To teach my son how to swim _properly_!"

_oOo_

Bulma couldn't resist. It was the first time he was going to be with his son since he had been born and she wanted to be present for it. Shortly after he left, she programmed the cleaning bots to take care of the table before she followed after him, her feet quickly carrying her down the long corridor that led to the rec department. It had been quite a while since she felt giddy and knowing that father and son were going to be spending some "quality" time together had her heart racing with excitement.

After several turns, a few swipes of her ID badge, and more turns and doors opening, Bulma finally made it to the locker room, where she quickly ran through to gain access to the swimming pool area. Just as she was about to open the door, she abruptly stepped back in surprise as her mother walked through, a bright smile on her face.

"Oh honey! There you are!"

Bulma chuckled. "Yeah, I was just coming to see Vegeta teach Trunks how to swim."

Bunny giggled and patted her daughter on the shoulder. "Oh that man! The moment he came barging in, he said he was going to take over. He's such a good father, wanting to teach his son how to swim," she giggled again and began walking away. Before she left, she turned back and said with bright eyes, "Don't forget to take some pictures of them!"

Bulma shook her head as she watched her mother leave. How was she supposed to take pictures of them when she didn't have a camera? And at this point, it wasn't worth running back to the main part of the compound for the piece of equipment. She wanted to see for herself how Vegeta would act around his son.

Turning back to the door, she cracked it open and peered through, a smile appearing as she watched as Vegeta stood over their son, a stern look on his face as he spoke to the boy. She glanced down at Trunks, whom looked confused as he gazed up at the man and Bulma sighed sadly. She had hoped that by now, Trunks would know more about Vegeta, and all she could see in his gaze as he stared as his father was the word stranger. And unfortunately, that's what Vegeta was to him.

But not for long, she decided.

After observing the two for a few more seconds, Bulma stepped through the door and made her way over to the pair. Trunks tilted his head around his father's legs curiously, earning an irritated growl from the prince at the distraction, before a smile broke out on his little face and he screamed in excitement, "MOMMA!"

Bulma smiled back and gave a small wave at Vegeta who turned to glare at her.

"How's my big boy doing?" She said cheerfully as she stepped to Vegeta's side, who took one step away from her and she nearly frowned at him.

"Swim, Momma!"

"I see, baby! Is your Daddy teaching you to swim?" Bulma smirked as Vegeta tensed, his form screaming with his displeasure at the term "Daddy."

"I've already told the boy to address me as Father, not that ridiculous word," he snarled and Bulma's smirk immediately turned into a deep, disapproving frown.

"Oh come on, Vegeta, he's a baby, and that's what you are to him!"

"I refuse to be called by that… that… human term!"

"_Human term?! _Then what is Father?!"

"It demands respect unlike that horrid of a word and I refuse to allow my son to call me that!"

"Ooohh, well, you just listen here…"

Trunks gazed at his parents as they continued to argue, his little self clearly forgotten as the two verbally battled it out. Soon, this form of entertainment began to bore him and he glanced behind him at the large rectangle of water before he waddled into a standing position and began to make his way over to the edge of the pool. He was here to swim and had yet to even get into the pool and he decided it was high time to jump in.

Toddling past his parents, Trunks gazed at the shimmering surface with excitement before he took one small step back and leapt in without his floaters, and frowned when he started to sink to the bottom of the pool. Strange, why wasn't he floating? Every other time he got in, he always floated.

His eyes widened a fraction when his little butt bumped against the bottom of the pool, but instead of panicking, Trunks smiled brightly and clapped his hands, treating the situation as if it were a game of hide and seek. He glanced up toward the surface of the pool and waited to see which one of his parents would find him first.

"—and it is for weaklings! I am not a weakling!" Vegeta spat, a vein pulsating in his forehead as he continued to argue with the onna.

"It is not for weaklings, Vegeta! That is ludicrous! Look at Goku—" she began to say only to have Vegeta cut her off with harsh laughter.

"Kakkarot? He would be the type of third class dog to have his son call him… Daddy," he spat the word and shuddered with disgust.

Bulma rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to defend her friend, but when her eyes trailed away from Vegeta to where Trunks would've been, any words she would've said died on her lips as she frantically searched the area for her child.

"Vegeta, where's Trunks?!"

The prince blinked and glance down only to see the boy was no longer sitting at his feet, but had somehow wondered off without him knowing. He glanced around the large room once, before he closed his eyes and concentrated and not a second later, his eyes snapped to the pool, Bulma's following his gaze, her heart racing with the confirmed knowledge that her son was in fact at the bottom of the pool.

"Oh shit…" She started to say, and she watched as Vegeta quickly dove into the pool, her hands buried in her hair as she began to wonder just how long her son had been down there.

Seconds later, the Saiya-jin Prince emerged with their son cradled in his arms, the young boy coughing and wiping at his eyes as he breathed in sweet air.

"Oh my Kami, I thought I was going to have a heart attack!" Bulma said as she knelt at the edge of the pool with her arms stretched outward for the boy.

Vegeta wiped at his face, before he absentmindedly brushed his son's hair back away from his eyes and patted the boys back as he coughed up water and Bulma watched in awe. Instead of reaching out for him like she intended, she folded her arms on top of her knees, her eyes taking in how the harsh Prince checked over the young boy and she could feel a slight smile pull at her lips.

In the very depth of his eyes, buried deep and almost concealed, Bulma could see the worry. She could see how affected his was by this one incident and she couldn't help but wonder what had caused him to change and silently thanked whatever god was responsible for those changes.

Even though he would deny it, he did care.

Vegeta continued to pat his son on the back until his coughing subsided, his mind racing and his eyes distant. How was the brat able to slip by him without him realizing it? It left the Prince feeling disconcerted. He was normally at his prime with his senses and sharp with awareness, but the fact that a small child, his heir, was able to wander on by him without him even flinching was unsettling.

"Is he okay?" Bulma's soft voice shook the prince from his thoughts and he glanced up to the onna who teetered on the edge of the pool, her arms crossed at her knees as she gazed at them both with gentle concern.

Grunting, Vegeta swam towards the edge and lifted the brat out of the pool and into his mother's awaiting arms, before he too climbed out wordlessly. She took little Trunks in her arms, watching as her former lover ringed out his flattened mane, surprised that he didn't even make a complaint towards his wet clothing. She then turned to her son, who was gazing at her with a small smile, completely unfazed by the situation and she shook her head.

"You can't do that again, Trunks," she said sternly, "You scared Mommy and Daddy." At those words, his small smile vanished, replace with wobbling lips, a trembling chin, and shinny, tear-filled eyes. Bulma sighed and rubbed his back, her body subconsciously swaying from side to side. "It's okay, baby, don't cry."

Vegeta watched them as he continued to ring out his wet clothes and hair, his mouth twitching at her use of the word _daddy_, but he decided not to say anything. He suddenly felt out of place as he watched the onna sway their son from side to side in a soothing manner and couldn't help but to feel like he didn't belong in this picture.

Suddenly uncomfortable, Vegeta cleared his throat and Bulma turned her attention to him, her eyes wide and trusting.

"I'll teach the boy how to swim later," he said, before he turned to leave.

"Vegeta wait…"

He stopped and turned to glance back, his brow cocked with what seemed like impatience, but Bulma could tell differently now.

"Thank you," she said simply with a small smile.

He stood there for a second, shocked by her gratitude, before he tilted his head, turned, and left the room before any more disasters happened.

Bulma and Trunks watched the man go before they both exchanged looks and she smiled at him.

"I think that's the first time anyone's ever scared your Daddy, baby," she said, her smile brightening.

_oOo_

After putting Trunks down, Bulma walked out of the nursery, her hand massaging her one shoulder to release the tension as she made her way down towards the kitchen, her mind on one thing and one thing only. It had been a long day, with the arguments she had with Vegeta, to her son jumping into the pool without either of them knowing, Bulma had decided she needed to loosen up.

She wanted a beer.

Making her way into the kitchen, she opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle and expertly popped the cap before tossing the piece of metal into the trash can as she made her way outside to the patio. She took a swig of the dark liquid before seating herself in one of the chairs, sighing as she reclined herself so she could gaze at the night sky.

She wasn't sure how long she had sat there, but an unexpected movement to her left had the young scientist jolting in surprise as a shadow brushed by her. Her eyes were wide as she turned to see what it was, only to exhale deeply at the sight of Vegeta reclining in the chair next to her, his eyes on the night sky above.

"Funny meeting you here," Bulma teased as she took another swig of her drink.

Without glancing at her, the prince retorted, "I can't help it that you are so unaware of your surroundings onna." Finally, he turned his dark onyx gaze on her and with a hint of humor, he added, "I'd suggest you work on that, but it'd only be a waste of my breath."

Gasping, Bulma glared at him. "Are you insinuating that I can't?"

He chuckled. "Of course not. I'm just saying you're so weak that by the time anyone does sneak up on you, you'd probably already be dead."

Again, Bulma gasped, but this time, it was in surprise. He was teasing her! She glanced down at the bottle that was currently clutched in her hand and wondered how many had she had for this to have taking place, because surely it couldn't be real, but she reminded herself that this was her first one of the night and she was anything but a light weight.

She shook her head when he turned his attention back to the night sky and they fell into a comfortable silence.

As Bulma began to reach the end of her drink, the noise of the liquid sloshing up the sides had Vegeta's ears twitching and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes with annoyance. "My Kami, onna, you are the only one in the whole universe who drinks loud! Just finish it off and be done with it!"

Bulma chuckled and swirled the small contents of the bottle and said, "But I'm savoring it. I don't get to drink often, but when I do, I like to enjoy it."

Vegeta sniffed silently. "What is that beverage?"

With the bottle close to her lips, Bulma went to finish it off, only to stop as she answered, "Its beer."

She went to take her last sip, but Vegeta's question stopped her. "What's beer?"

Blinking, Bulma's brow furrowed. "_What's beer?_ You've never had beer before?"

"If I knew what it was, you infuriating woman, I wouldn't be asking!"

"It's delicious, is what it is," she said with a smirk. "Its alcohol… Wanna try?" She tilted the bottle in his direction, offering what little was left for him to try.

He eyed the bottle as if it were an enemy he was scouting, before his shoulders sagged and he gave into temptation. He reached for the bottle and finished off its contents, surprised at the bitter yet slightly chocolate aftertaste to it. He handed the bottle back to her with a nod of approval and she smirked.

"Want me to get you a bottle? I'm gonna go grab myself another," she offered as she stood from the chair. Without waiting for his answer, she bounced back into the kitchen, returning several minutes later with a large bowl filled with ice and several dark bottles chilling. She sat the bowl down between them and took a seat, her arms reaching for a bottle and she popped the cap and handed it to Vegeta with a smile before doing the same for herself.

With a smirk, she said, "Now you have to catch up to me." She took a swig of the beer and chuckled at his confused look. "I'm a beer ahead of you!"

He cocked a brow and murmured huskily, "Is that a challenge, onna?"

Suddenly, Bulma felt flushed with the way he was gazing at her, his brow cocked, amusement playing in his eyes, and something else… maybe desire? Or maybe it was just the beer playing with her head, but whatever it was, the comfortable companionship they fell into at that moment was something she didn't want to ruin.

Yet, she couldn't help but whisper flirtatiously, "What if it is?"

Vegeta eyed her up and down, the conversation suddenly taking a turn from beer chugging to something completely different. He took a long swig of his beer and she watched as he finished the entire bottle off before he tossed it aside and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He then looked back at her as he reached for another, and he popped the cap with his thumb before he took a small sip.

"I'm not behind anymore," he stated obviously.

Bulma nodded, unsure of what to say, her sole focus now on the familiar aching feeling of arousal. She couldn't help but to think of how long it had been and her mind began to play images of the last time they had each other; how he felt above her, moving over her, moving _inside_ her, and she nearly forgot about her decision of having him come to her.

She took one more swig of her drink before she sat it down next to the chair and stood with her eyes on the man next to her. He watched as she walked the short distance between their chairs, his brow somewhat furrowed at what she was about to do and he could tell where this was going. His mind had screamed at him to stop this, to leave. He had told himself that when he came back to the compound, he was never coupling with the onna again, but now that this moment was here and she was now _straddling_ him, he forgot why he fought with himself over this.

Bulma placed her hands on his shoulders before she slid them down the planes of his chest, feeling the muscles through the thin fabric of his tank. Kami, how she remembered those muscles rippling as he thrusted and moved over her, and she wanted to feel that again… right now.

Her eyes wandered down the trail her hands took, before she leaned forward, her face inches from him and she could feel his warm breath and smirked at how elevated his breathing was. He was affected too.

She ghosted her lips across his, before she trailed them along his jaw, and then down the length of his neck, smirking when he tilted his head just slightly and she moaned when his hands came up to clutch at her hips to bring them forward in a grinding motion. She nipped and suckled along the skin of his neck, her hands inching there way under his shirt to play along the waistline of his spandex pants, a finger slipping teasingly underneath the fabric and she pulled.

Bulma pulled away from his neck, earning a growl from the man beneath her, and she grinded her hips down onto his erection, his growl turning into a groan. She smirked smugly, her hips shifting in circles and she whispered, "Do you want me, Vegeta?"

He blinked at her through his lusty haze and dug the tips of his fingers into her hips, bringing her forward to nip her bottom lip. She pulled away from him slightly and shook her head, her nails scratching down his chest to the waistband of his spandex pants.

"Tell me… Do you want me?"

Vegeta growled and snarled out, "Yes!"

Bulma smirked and leaned forward, and kissed him deeply, her tongue battling his before she yanked at his bottom lip with her teeth. She sat up, her smirk now a full blown grin as she stated with a challenge in her eyes.

"Then come and get me," and with that, she pulled his hands off her hips, stood, leaned down to grab her still full beer and walked back into the compound without looking back, her hips swaying a bit with confidence.

Vegeta watched her go, his eyes wide, baffled, and somewhat confused before he sighed with frustration and slammed his head back against the chair. Then, he turned his accusing gaze to his still throbbing erection and cursed.

Damn, that clever onna.

_oOo_

…_TBC…_

Oh my God, I am so bad! Teehee!

Yes, this story is about Bulma trying to get her power as a woman back and she is determined!

Please visit Unnatural Lovers and join! It's still a work in progress, but that doesn't mean people can't join!

Until next time my lovelies,

Crystal


	4. Chapter Three: Obstacles

_AN: _Holy crap, I've been gone quite a while! Three months, really? Bad me! I'm sorry about my absence, but life always seems to get in the way at some point, but now that it's summer, I have some free time on my hands, and now I need to catch you all up on some stuff…

I don't know why it always happens to me, but the site I've been using to get my writing community up and running glitched out, locked up, and then locked me out of the system (and the company that I've been working with are no help at all!), so I'm pretty irked right now over it. I'm using weebly for the time being, so in the meantime, I have three challenges up and running on the site (one Continuous Challenge: Intimacy, one Weekly Challenge: Word of the Week: Wet, and one Fan Art Challenge: The Victorian Ball), so go check it out if you're interested!

unnaturallovers . weebly . com

Also, I've published a new original works on my blog, called Forsaken! The prologue is up on the blog and the story is about a young girl who begins to question her faith in her religion when she meets her best friend's new roommate, a man that carries a very dark secret that may put her very life in danger. It's going to pertain towards the Catholic religion (I am not Catholic, nor religious, so this is a challenge for me) and it is of the Supernatural genre! Of course there is going to be a dash of Romance (come on guys, you know me, I can't write a book without romance involved), but I'm hoping for the story to be more dark than anything.

mistressofsorcery . wordpress . com

_CHAPTER SUMMARY:_ What happens when a new character is introduced? Does it mean trouble?

_WARNING:_ This story is _Rated M_ for sexual content, adult themes and language. If you are offended by sexual themes or any reference to sex, adult themes, or the use of profane language; this story is not for you! You have been _warned_!

…_And onto the story…_

_Through the Looking Glass Book II: Unpredictable_

_Chapter Three: Obstacles_

He growled.

He had never allowed himself to do this and now that the opportunity was presented to him, he couldn't help but give in.

Gripping his mug tightly, near to the point of shattering the fragile object, Vegeta's jaw twitched as he watched the onna from across the room, her back turned to him as she leaned over the table in a very appealing position with a pen in her mouth and a series of what seemed like blueprints scattered about the table top. He couldn't help but to allow his eyes roam her figure and appreciate the way her shorts fitted her round bottom perfectly, the shortness of the denim apparel accentuating her milky long legs, making them seem like they went on for miles. Images of those legs being wrapped tightly around his waist, clenching him in ecstasy flashed across his mind and he forced himself to blink and turn away from the inviting sight.

It was unlike him to stand there and gawk. But ever since she had straddled him two nights ago and then left him high and dry with a challenge lingering in the air in her wake, he couldn't help himself. And it annoyed him to no end. He was not the type of person to chase after women. _They_ were the ones who _came to him_. He was a prince after all and he couldn't help it if women flocked his way. Why should he blame them?

But now… the tables were turned.

He heard movement from the dining room and glanced back to see Bulma stretched across the table as she proceeded to write something down on one of the blueprints and the sight caused Vegeta to lick his lips and tilt his head a bit. Her shirt had rode up to reveal the smoothness of her back, her shorts slipping some to show the tempting skin of her hips and he noticed a purple string of her undergarments peaking out and immediately his thoughts turned from mildly erotic to dark and dirty.

Bulma straightened, causing Vegeta to tense and turn away quickly to gaze out the window with a look of disinterest and he could feel the onna's eyes on his person, but he made no move to meet her gaze. Tilting the mug, he downed the rest of the contents before putting it beside the sink and he left the kitchen, and the temptation, behind.

He needed to escape.

He needed to train.

Bulma watched him go out the side door before she turned back to her blueprints with a frown. She had been hoping he would've walked up behind her and done _something_, but for a moment, she forgot how stubborn that Saiya-jin was and now knew that this was going to be harder than she originally anticipated. Sighing, she gathered up her old blueprints from the original simulator and rolled each of them up before heading down the hall to swipe her ID badge to gain access to the company part of the compound. There, she made her way down the long corridor towards the archives where she put the blueprints away.

It was going to take more than a tempting position, old blueprints, and her short shorts to get him to make a move.

She may be a genius, but trying to figure out how to get Vegeta to make a move on her was a tough one to solve. Yet, she couldn't help but scold herself for using the moves that would've _and_ have worked on Yamcha before. Vegeta was not Yamcha. He didn't fall for the seductive _"Oh I didn't know you were there,"_ moves. And a part of her couldn't help but wonder if he had figured out if she was actually doing that or if he was just being plain stubborn and refused to approach her.

It was mind boggling.

Chewing on her bottom lip, Bulma wandered down the hall, her eyes trained on the floor as she contemplated another plan. She grimaced when she bit her lip a little too hard and sighed exasperatedly. Obviously this was going to take some time and a lot more thought.

_Oh well_, she smirked. _At least it'll be fun._

Or so she thought.

_oOo_

"Bulma, dear?" Dr. Briefs asked from the doorway of Bulma's private office. Even though the day had just begun, it had been a hectic start. Recently, the head of the Department of Research had passed away suddenly, leaving the whole department in an aftermath of chaos as they tried to run themselves while Dr. Briefs and Bulma searched for a replacement and so far, they were unsuccessful.

"Hmm?" Bulma glanced up from the sheets of paper that were currently scattered among her desk to her father who was now in front of her desk with a stack of manila folders piled high in his arms. She leaned back as he sat the heavy load onto her desk with a huff and she eyed the tower with a wary glance. "Please tell me this is the only stack I have to go through…" she pleaded as she grabbed the first folder off the top and began to leaf through it.

Her father shook his head as he rubbed his aching back. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but we have another three or four stacks. I have my own to go through as well."

Bulma licked the tips of her fingers when the pages began to stick together and she scanned the resume of an elderly gentleman professor who taught at an esteem college, his background specialties were impressive, but not exactly what Bulma was hoping for. She leaned back in her chair, tossing the resume aside with a grunt of disapproval. "So, how many overall?"

"Well…" Dr. Briefs began hesitantly as he stared at the ceiling, doing a mental count in his head before he muttered, "roughly eight thousand… or so."

Bulma's eyes grew wide. "Eight thousand applicants? I thought we had a cutoff limit!"

He nodded. "We normally do, but desperate times call for desperate measures and we _really_ need our department head. We would've had more too if we hadn't closed down the ad." He chuckled when his daughter's shocked look turned almost horrified at the thought of going through eight thousand resumes. "Don't worry. You and I are only going through the ones that the Executives below feel are adequate."

She let out a sigh of relief as she grabbed for the next resume. "And how many is that?"

"Five hundred."

Well, that was better than eight thousand, she reasoned with herself.

Letting out a long breath, Bulma reached for another folder and her father smiled at her apologetically before he turned and left her office. She eyed the short list of skills of the one in her hand before muttering a curse and tossing it aside.

It was going to be a long day indeed.

_oOo_

Vegeta growled as he marched down the long corridor, a large round object hanging from his hand and a series of metal parts currently falling from said object. From behind him, he could hear a series of curses and a screech as a loud thud echoed down the hall, the scattering of papers in the air flapping down towards the floor from a collision he didn't witness, but heard. He smirked as he rounded the corner.

Approaching the elevator, he eyed the small space with obvious disdain as he climbed into it, his finger roughly pressing the number for the floor he needed to go to and he began to breath heavily. He hated enclosed spaces and the longer he was in the elevator, the more agitated he became. His jaw twitched when the contraption stopped on another floor and he glared at the male human who was about to climb in, but one look from the intimidating man in the elevator, he thought better of it and muttered out "I'll just get the next one…" before he stepped back and starred at the floor.

Vegeta pressed the button for the doors to close and stepped back, his back leaning against the wall as he closed his eyes and breathed evenly. He had spent countless years in his small spacecraft flying to numerous planets, the trip sometimes taking months just to arrive. So why would a five minute elevator ride bother him so much?

Finally, he heard a ding and an electronic voice calling out "Floor 52", and once the doors opened, he stepped off quickly and breathed a sigh of relief. After several turns and the few glances in open offices, Vegeta arrived and he dropped the round metal object on the desk.

Bulma squeaked and jumped back in her chair as the object thudded on her desk and, as she caught her breath, she glanced up to meet the glare of Vegeta.

_Oh hell, what now?_

"Vegeta, what an unpleasant surprise to see you," She stated with a sweet smile as she sat forward. "What the fuck is on my desk and…" she glanced to the side to see a fluid leaking out of one of the open compartments and she screeched as she frantically began to move the stack of papers that was next to the object. "Why the fuck is it leaking?!"

He shrugged. "It must've started on the way up here," he said casually. "You need to fix it."

She sighed as she set the stack of papers on a shelf on the other side of the room. "I don't have the time to fix your toys, Vegeta. I'm working! And now I need to call maintenance to clean my fucking desk, which is going to prolong my fucking day, thanks to you!" She leaned over her desk and hit a series of buttons on a pad to call for a crew and Vegeta took notice to the low neckline of her shirt and the delicious dip of her cleavage. When she straightened, he quickly averted his gaze and morphed it into a scowl.

"Make the time, onna! This damn thing is your invention, I demand you to fix it!"

She blinked as she glanced at the rubble that was currently falling apart on her desk.

_I built that piece of shit?_

"What is it?"

Vegeta chuckled and crossed his arms. "It's a bot."

Her eyes widened as she took in the broken bot on her desk, now recognizing certain parts she used to build it and her face turned red with anger. "You broke my bot and beat it so bad that I couldn't even recognize it! What the fuck, Vegeta?!"

Again, he shrugged. He seemed to be doing a lot of that around her lately. "It is not my fault your inventions are so cheaply made."

Bulma took a deep breath and glanced at the clock before sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose. She didn't have time for this. Giving Vegeta a glance, she knew that if she argued over the broken bot, she'd lose. He was determined and she didn't have the time to argue over a lunk of metal. It looked like another long night for her.

Then an idea struck.

She smirked devilishly.

"Fine, I'll fix the bot," she said simply, and Vegeta smirked victoriously before he turned to leave. He was halted when she spoke again. "But, it's going to take me most of the night, and I can't start now, I have too much else to do. And if I'm up all night, I'm going to be rubbish tomorrow, which means Trunks will be rubbish tomorrow," she hinted and watched with amusement as Vegeta tensed.

"Then get your mother to watch the brat," He turned to eye her suspiciously.

"No," she approached him, her arms crossed as she met his gaze with her own. "See, this is what happens when you have a kid, Vegeta. You need to take some responsibility and when I can't take care of him, you need too." He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off quickly. "And if I'm going to be up all night fixing your precious training equipment, then you need to do me a favor too," she smiled sweetly. "Just think of it like I scratch your back you scratch mine kind of deal!"

He furrowed his brow in confusion. What the hell did back scratching have anything to do with this?

"Your mother can watch the boy perfectly fine," he argued.

Bulma cocked a brow. "Okay, if that's how you want to be, then it's going to take me a week to fix it."

Vegeta's eyes widened in horror. "That is absolutely unacceptable, onna! I demand you fix them tonight!"

Calmly, Bulma sat back down in her chair and crossed her legs, her gaze smiling and twinkling at Vegeta's outburst. "No. I told you, I have work to do and it's more important than your stupid equipment. I tried to compromise with you, but if you don't want to work with me, then you're going to have to wait until I do have time."

Vegeta growled as his eyes, for a brief moment, traveled over her long legs, the black skirt she was wearing accentuating both the length of her legs and the fairness of her skin. He heard a soft chuckle of amusement and immediately averted his eyes, knowing she had caught him looking.

The damn onna knew exactly what she was doing.

He gritted his teeth. "Can't you find someone else to do your work?"

She snorted. "No, that'd be like asking someone to be prince in your stead. It just isn't possible. No one is qualified to do what I do. You know what I want, either take my offer and get your bots by tomorrow, or wait the week." She smiled. "I'm sure my mom can entertain you when you get bored, she adores you, ya know!"

Again, his eyes widened a fraction and he sputtered out, "Fine, I'll watch the damn brat!" Before he turned and waltzed out the room, throwing over his shoulders, "Have my bot ready and in the simulator by morning!"

She watched him go and sighed, his frustrating attitude both irritating and a turn on for her.

_Jerk_, she thought as a cleanup crew knocked on her doorframe before pulling a cart into her office.

Immediately, the two men set out to clean her desk, both attempting to lift the heavy bot and place it on a dolly with the intent to take it to the dumpster, but Bulma stopped them.

"No, I need that!" She said quickly as she leaned forward.

They both stopped and glanced at her. "But ma'am… It's leaking and broken and—"

She shook her head. "I don't care, I need it. Take it to my lab please."

The two men shared a look before shrugging and doing as she said.

Bulma let out a long breath as she rested her elbows on her now clean desk, her eyes landing on the pile of resumes she had yet to leaf through.

_Maybe I should start making calls…_

_oOo_

As promised, Bulma used the night to fix the bot and had it towed to the simulator. Shortly afterward, she had knocked on Vegeta's door to remind him about their deal and surprisingly, he wasn't in his room. She had frowned before making her way down the hall to see the nursery door slightly ajar and Vegeta hovering over a crying Trunks, one hand plugging his nose while the other attempted to unwrap his son's diaper. She slapped a hand over her mouth to prevent the laugh that bubbled up in the pits of her stomach from escaping.

Instead of interrupting, Bulma went to her room—after lingering near the nursery door for several more minutes—and wrote a small note. She then went back down the hall and tapped said note to Vegeta's door with the message that his bot was in the simulator before retiring for the next few hours.

Now here she was, lying in her bed hours later, her head buried beneath several pillows, her alarm blaring and she moaned. Five hours of sleep was not enough, she determined as she raised her hand to slap the snooze button with abuse for the third time. Sighing, she buried her face back in the cool welcoming embrace of her pillows, her mind hazing with sleep, before she growled when a light tapping sounded at her door.

"Bulma, dear?" her father's voice carried from beyond the wood. "You have several interviews set up today, you need to get up."

She whined childishly and when her father tapped again, she snapped, "I'm up!" before flopping back down on the pillow with an aggravated sigh.

She should've scheduled those interviews for the following day, but with the way things were, the Research Department wasn't going to run itself. The need for a department head was urgent and with no department head meant more hours for the heiress to work. And with those thoughts bearing down on her mind, she sat up and dressed for the day, slipping into a pair of black slacks before topping her outfit off with a black and white pinstriped vest top that buttoned. She smoothed her collar down before gathering her hair and twirling it into a bun, securing it with two black chopsticks. She slapped on a bit of makeup and then stepped back to give herself a "once over," before leaving for the day.

_oOo_

"Thank you for your time, Miss Briefs, I look forward to hearing from you," the gentleman said when they both stood with smiles on their faces, their hands extended to shake. Bulma watched the elderly man leave before her smile slipped into a frown and she slumped into her chair with a heavy sigh. The man was more than qualified, his skills as well as his background were impressive; however the amount of time the man would need to have off due to medical issues had Bulma's head hurting. She couldn't risk hiring the elderly man. She needed someone healthier…

Glancing at the clock, she noticed she had only a few minutes until her next interview, so she began to clear off her desk, replacing folders and pads with new ones. She opened up the new folder to acquaint herself with the next interviewee's background, skimming over the paper briefly before a _tap tap_ sounded at her door. She stood with a smile, the folder left open on her desk as her secretary opened the door to let the next one in and Bulma's heart skipped a beat at the sight.

The man wore a bright smile when he stepped into the office, his eyes were a dark midnight blue and they were deep. They reflected the light of the room, giving the impression that stars shimmered in his eyes. His brown hair hung over his face just enough to give it the ruffled bed look; his toned shoulders fit the suit he wore perfectly. He was tall and slim and the closer he got, the more she noticed the slight stubble on his face. When he bent down to set his briefcase next to the chair, she noticed a dark freckle just below his ear.

He was _gorgeous_.

She blinked out of her trance and plastered a smile on her face before taking his expectant hand in hers and shaking it, her breath catching at the softness of his skin and the sureness of his grip.

"Thank you for this opportunity, Miss Briefs! I'm Kei Isamu," he introduced, his voice almost taking on a husky tone as he spoke, nearly melting the heiress.

Bulma took a deep breath, her hand still in his as she finally said, "Thank you for meeting me, Mr. Isamu. Please call me Bulma."

"Then you must call me Kei," he replied with a pleasant smile before they both took their hands back.

She offered him a seat to which he gladly accepted and thus, the interview began.

_oOo_

…_TBC…_

I'm sorry this chapter was short, but for some reason, I had a hard time focusing on this chapter and I've been distracted with Unnatural Lover's. But the way I left it off leaves me with an open canvas, so it had to be done!

Please check out Unnatural Lover's Writing Community! Three challenge's up and running!

unnaturallovers . weebly . com

The next chapter shouldn't take so long, hopefully. Thank you all for sticking with me!

Until next time my lovelies!

Crystal


	5. Chapter Four: One is the loneliest

_AN: _I'm sorry if I upset anyone with the not-an-update notice. I know when I'm reading and I see an author update only to find it's an Author's Note, I get upset too… So, sorry, sorry, a million times sorry! And there's a small time jump in this chapter. It's needed for this to make some sense. And again, I had a hard time getting this chapter out, but now that I'm finally over that hump of how I want to present the new character, things should start to smooth out a bit!

Any who, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and if you haven't checked out **We're Just Saiyan Community** on Google Plus (link is on my profile), you need to do so! _There's an upcoming live podcast this Monday and I'm the guest!_ _WOOOO! _Also, check out the links below, Unnatural Lover's has some new challenges up and running, and the deadlines are coming fast!

unnaturallovers . weebly . com

mistressofsorcery . wordpress . com

_CHAPTER SUMMARY:_ Bulma is tired of chasing Vegeta and her attraction to Kei Isamu sparks, but does this spell trouble for our Saiya-jin Prince?

_WARNING:_ This story is _Rated M_ for sexual content, adult themes and language. If you are offended by sexual themes or any reference to sex, adult themes, or the use of profane language; this story is not for you! You have been _warned_!

…_And onto the story…_

_Through the Looking Glass Book II: Unpredictable_

_Chapter Four: One is the loneliest number_

It wasn't unusual for Bulma to find an employee attractive. Many of her workers were mostly men and it was bound to happen at some point. Yet despite her attractions, she kept to her ethics and steered clearly of dating any of them… though that never stopped her from flirting shamelessly. It made the day a little less boring and she loved it whenever their eyes would light up when she would walk into a room. She used to find the attention thrilling as she would watch their gazes rack up and down her form with longing and desire.

But, things changed when Vegeta stayed. And after awhile, the thrilling feeling of eyes upon her physique no longer felt the same. In the end, she only felt flattered, but otherwise, she didn't care if their attention was on her or not. There was only one person whose attention she sought for and unfortunately, that person was being absurdly stubborn.

It had been nearly two months now since Bulma challenged Vegeta, but her efforts at winning him over were dwindling down. In the end, she was starting to become tired of chasing after him; she was tired of posing, of making up scenarios where they accidentally bumped into each other, and she was tired of even sabotaging the simulator so he was _forced_ to seek her out. She was starting to second guess herself. She knew she was attractive, but she wasn't sure if he really wanted her or if he only said he did because of the position they were in.

After the many weeks of trying, Bulma slowly gave up. It was useless. No matter what situation she put them in, the end result was always the same. He would turn right around and leave, like nothing ever happened. It was beyond frustrating and each time it happened, she had to bite her tongue from screaming out her irritation. She didn't want him to know she was purposefully doing these things, but a small voice in the back of her mind told her he may already know. He wasn't stupid nor was he blind. Some of her attempts may have even been a little obvious.

But in her eyes, it didn't matter. She was tired of waiting, tired of trying, and overall, tired of feeling alone. Being a mother to a young half-Saiya-jin boy wasn't an easy job and required a lot of her attention. The majority of what she used to do, she could no longer do anymore. There were times she was forced to bring little Trunks to work and even then, her attention was divided. And sometimes, it hurt whenever she would watch her son, playing in the corner of a room alone. She tried her best to give him all he needed, but what she wanted to give him was something she was starting to think was impossible.

A real family.

The more Vegeta avoided her, the more her hopes turned sour. She had begun to think about swearing off men all-together.

Then, the interview happened.

The attraction between Bulma and Kei was instant, yet Bulma had to remind herself of her ethics and instead of flirting like she normally would, she conducted the interview professionally. Throughout the long session, she couldn't help but notice his charming smile, his charismatic personality, and she cursed herself for the thoughts that drifted through her mind. What would it be like if she gave up Vegeta and instead pursued another man?

At first, she couldn't picture it; the image immediately making her stomach churn in a harsh way. She loved Vegeta, no matter what his feelings were towards her, it was hard to consider giving him up. She bore his son; her attachments to him ran deep. But the constant neglect and space wasn't helping matters, especially after she openly threw herself at him, challenging him directly to make the first move. She knew he wanted her, so why was he being so damn dismissive?

Bulma sighed.

Maybe she should consider becoming a lesbian after all?

_oOo_

Bulma bit her lip as she eyed the contents of her desk with disdain. She had spent far too much time reminiscing on Vegeta and neglected the mountains of paperwork that currently took up the majority of her desk. She hated paperwork and she was beginning to get a major headache from all the constant thinking she's been doing.

Pushing herself away from her desk, Bulma stomped out of her office and towards the employees lounge, in desperate need of a cup of coffee. As she waltzed into the large room, she abruptly came to a stop in the doorway.

There, by the coffee machine, stood Kei, her new employee.

Ever since she hired him, her thoughts had been a mess. His good looks and charismatic personality was driving her up the wall. She hated that she liked him and she barely knew him. For a moment, she stood there, her eyes racking up and down his back with appreciation before she shook her head and mentally scolded herself for her behavior. She thought about turning around and leaving, but the smell of coffee wafted its way to her nose. She frowned. She was acting like a high school teenager with a crush. It was ridiculous!

Straightening her posture, Bulma waltzed into the room, her eyes trained on the coffee pot as she lifted it from its cradle. Reaching up, she opened the cabinet and grabbed a foam cup, all the while ignoring the man the stood next to her.

That is, she tried to until he spoke.

"Hey, Bulma!"

A shudder ran through the young heiress at the sound of his husky voice and she swallowed heavily before offering him a polite smile.

"Hey, Kei," she greeted simply as she stirred in the creamer to her coffee.

She saw from her peripheral his form leaning against the counter, a smile on his face. "I just wanted to thank you again for giving me this opportunity."

Bulma shook her head and nodded. "You more than deserve it," she said as she lifted the cup to her mouth. She tried to keep the conversation short and simple in hopes that he would get the hint and stop talking, but she should've known better. He was a people's person, something she quickly learned from the interview.

As she turned to leave, coffee in hand, Kei pushed himself away from the counter, his eyebrows lifted and mouth open, a clear sign he wanted to ask something.

She sighed inwardly before turning back to him. "Something wrong, Kei?"

He shook his head. "Oh, no! Nothing's wrong…" He explained and a second later he looked hesitant. "I um… I'd like to ask you something, but I'm not sure how to go about it…"

Her brow furrowed and her stomach clenched. They way he was glancing at her now made Bulma nervous. She stood by the door as he took a step closer to her, her posture somewhat stiff and tense. He was only standing a few feet away from her and she couldn't help but notice the way his brown hair fell into his eyes before he brushed it away and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I know you had mentioned that your father is rather strict on dating within the company, but…"

Her eyes widened a bit.

_Please don't ask me, please don't ask me!_

"I just wanted you to know that I'd love to get to know you better outside of work…"

_This isn't fair, why me?_

"And I would love to take you out to dinner some time…" He paused as he chuckled nervously, the corner of his eyes crinkling adorably. "I mean, if that's okay with you?"

Bulma felt frozen. Her heart was racing, but her legs were immobile. She wanted to run from the room instead of having to answer such a simple yet complicated question. For a moment, she thought about flat out telling him _no_, it's against policy, they're just coworkers. But as she gazed up at his face, she hesitated.

Ever since he had started working, he had been nothing but professional and polite and she couldn't deny she had noticed his charms from day one. Yet, as she gazed at him, contemplating how to answer, Vegeta popped into her head. He had been distant and the very few times they had bumped into each other, he hadn't given any sign of desire for her.

_Maybe it was just the heat of the moment speaking_, a little voice whispered in the back of her mind. If he had wanted her, he would've surely taken her by now, right? He was a prince, he was Vegeta, what he wanted, he pursued. But she didn't feel pursued, she felt pushed to the side… forgotten…

Kei, on the other hand noticed her. He was sweet, kind, and very attractive. Her stomach fluttered whenever she was around him and it was no different now.

Bulma bit her lip and Kei noticed her reluctance.

"I-is… I mean, are you seeing someone? Because if you are, I apologize, I have the tendency of putting my foot in my mouth," he sputtered off quickly and Bulma shook her head.

"No," she said and then winced. "Well, I mean… Not really. It's complicated," she explained as she scratched her cheek. Even though his expression never changed, she could tell by his slumped over shoulders that he was disappointed. "He hasn't really established that we're together and I'm just…" She trailed off, not knowing how to word her complicated situation.

"You're left confused, you're tired of mixed signals, and you're lonely?" He offered with a gentle smile and Bulma blinked before nodding.

"Yeah…"

Kei nodded. "I understand. I've been there. And from my experience, the only way to solve it is to talk."

Bulma shook her head. "Funny, I tried that. I'm still in the dark. He's not the talking type."

"Well how about this? Go out with me one time and if the night doesn't turn out right, then you can go home, laugh about how I was a cheap date and that'll be the end of it?" He offered with a smile and Bulma laughed softly at his joke.

She thought about it for a moment before biting her lip and asking, "Just dinner?"

He nodded his eyes bright and encouraging.

Bulma smiled and said, "Okay… When?"

_oOo_

Vegeta grumbled as he sat at the dinner table. It was one of the few times he was in Bulma's presence, but he was always the first to finish eating and leave. He had told himself over and over he would not be the first to make the move, but the longer time went on the more confused the prince became. He was absolutely positive the young heiress would've caved by now, but yet again, he had underestimated her.

He lifted a fork to his mouth, his eyes resting on her empty chair from across him. She hadn't come down for dinner and the last few nights she had been acting even stranger than normal. She refused to meet his gaze, not that he tried, but he definitely noticed that she never glanced his way. She was always stiff and tense, almost nervous and there were only two reasons he could come up with to explain her behavior.

Either she was about admit defeat and was fighting herself on it (Vegeta smirked at that scenario) or she was hiding something from him.

The last time she hid anything from him, he discovered she was pregnant.

He definitely did not like that scenario. Shoveling another fork full of food into his mouth, he swallowed and glanced at the stairs, curiosity getting the better of him. Across from him, sitting next to the blonde ditz, sat his son, oblivious to his mother's absence as he banged his fists on his tray, demanding more food and Vegeta leaned back into his chair, his eyes glancing from his son, to the empty chair, to the stairs.

Where the hell was she?

He knew she hadn't left the compound; her pathetically weak ki was too close. No, she was more than likely in her room, but why?

Just as that thought entered his mind, a figure appeared at the top of the stairs and descended, and his jaw nearly slacked at the sight. Bulma's normally straight hair was curled elegantly and hung over one shoulder. Peeking out from her curls where sparkling white hoops that dangled from her ears. His eyes followed along her slender neck, glancing over the white pearled necklace down to the dress she wore.

It was off shoulder and black with a small slit that ended in mid thigh. Her hands donned black gloves that covered most of her forearms and as his eyes gazed lower, he couldn't see what kind of shoes she was wearing, but he didn't care, even though he could tell but her added height it was obviously heels. The dress accentuated her physique and hugged her curves, though she wasn't as skinny as she was before she was pregnant, she was still slender and beautiful.

Vegeta blinked, the fork in his hand forgotten as his eyes locked onto the delicious sight that was her. She wasn't coming to dinner dressed like that was she? He knew about her attempts at sabotaging the gravity simulator, but never had she taken it to this level of trying to gain his attention.

Just as he was expecting her to take a seat across from him, instead, she waltzed on by and leaned down to peck her son on the cheek before straightening with a smile.

"Oh my, Bulma dear!" Bunny stated with a hand pressed to her chest. "You look lovely! When is he picking you up?"

Again, Vegeta blinked. Who the fuck was this "he" they were talking about?

An image of the scarred-face idiot popped into his head, giving him a smirk and a suggestive wink before it disappeared and it took all of his willpower not to growl possessively.

"He'll be here soon," Bulma said as she ran her glove clad fingers through her son's hair.

Bunny giggled and fanned herself. "Is he taking you to the Skyline? Or that new Italian place downtown?"

Bulma shrugged. "I don't know. He said it's a surprise and to 'dress to impress.'" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Vegeta's tense form sitting hunched over his plate, the fork in his hand gripped tightly and bent and she couldn't help but smirk.

If this was his show of jealousy, Bulma couldn't help but feel he deserved it.

"Anyway, I may be home a little late, so are you alright to watch Trunks for me?"

Bunny nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, dear! I love taking care of my favorite grandson!" She squealed. "You enjoy yourself tonight," she said with a wink.

Bulma blushed and laughed it off. "It's just dinner, Mom, nothing more."

Vegeta frowned. She had yet to say who she was going out with, but it didn't matter. He didn't like it in the least. Who did she think she was prancing around dressed like that, parading around with another man after she had clearly stated she wanted him? This feeling, this foreign feeling bubbled in the pits of Vegeta's stomach and he swallowed heavily before finally taking notice to the bent fork in his grasp. He scoffed and re-bent the metal object in its rightful position before attempting to maintain a nonchalant manner… and failed.

"Where are you going?" He grunted as he returned to his dinner, only this time with less gusto.

Bulma glanced up at him and smiled gently. "I don't know, like I said, it's a surprise."

"Who are you going with?"

"Someone I work with. Kei Isamu. He's a new employee."

"Why do you have to go out? Your mother cooked," he grumbled.

Bulma shrugged. "He asked me and I thought it sounded like fun, so I said yes."

"What about the boy?"

Bunny smiled, knowingly. "Oh don't worry, Vegeta dear! I'll look after Trunks!"

He glanced up at the blonde woman and glared at her before turning his glare to the onna whom smirked smugly.

"When will you be home?"

"I don't know, why? Don't want me to go?" She teased with a raised eyebrow. It was nice to see this sort of reaction from him, she was only hoping he would actually express how he was feeling and tell her he wanted her to stay. She would, she knew she would, but when he grunted and turned his head back to his dinner, she was only mildly disappointed.

When the doorbell rang, both Bulma and Bunny perked up. As Bulma answered the door, Bunny stood and followed, her curiosity at who this man was getting the better of her. As the door opened, Bulma couldn't help but stare. In his suit for work, he was handsome, but in the tux he wore now, he was dashing. Quickly getting a hold of herself, she stepped aside and let him into the compound and they exchanged smiles.

"Wow, you look really handsome, Kei," Bulma said as she closed the door.

Kei shook his head as she eyed her up and down, awe-struck. He chuckled. "You look really beautiful, Bulma. Um, these are for you," He said as he handed her a bouquet of roses. She blushed and took them, taking a deep whiff of their scent, before she noticed her mother hovering like a jitter bug.

She shook her head and gestured to her. "Kei, this is my mother, Bunny Briefs. Mom, this is Kei Isamu." They shook hands, Bunny blushing lightly as they exchanged pleasantries, before taking the roses from Bulma and headed for the kitchen. The moment she walked away, a smaller figure appeared behind her, his gaze one of suspicion and curiosity.

Kei glanced down and smiled brightly. "And who's this little guy?"

Bulma bite her lip and reached down to pick Trunks up. He immediately cuddled up in her arms, though his eyes remained trained on the strange man standing in the middle of the room. "This is my son, Trunks." Glancing back at the kitchen, Bulma realized her mother was too busy and she sighed. Turning back to Kei, she smiled apologetically. "Can you excuse me for a moment. I need to get him to bed."

He nodded and watched as she quickly left to room, leaving him standing there waiting. He turned his attention to the few pictures that were laid out, each one filled with both the heiress and people he had yet to meet or her son. As he reached down to pick one of the pictures up to examine it more closely, a brush of air from behind him startled the man, causing him to turn around abruptly and meet the cold onyx eyes of Vegeta.

He swallowed heavily at the close proximity the shorter man stood to him and Kei was forced to take a step back before he felt just a little more comfortable. The intense gaze the man gave him made him feel even smaller than a five year old child, something he hadn't felt since he lived with his parents. It made him want to crawl in a dark hole and hide away, but instead, Kei stared back with as much courage as possible.

He didn't even realize he was shaking until he opened his mouth to speak. "H-hi," he cleared his throat, a light blush covering his cheeks as his voice betrayed his inner feelings. "Hello. I'm Kei," he introduced and held out his nearly trembling hand. "And you are?"

Vegeta glanced down at the proffered hand before cocking a brow and returning his intense gaze back at the man before him, continuing his assessment. He was tall, sure, and with heels, Bulma met his height perfectly, Vegeta noticed. His built, though, was another thing entirely. Vegeta scowled at the pathetic form of the man. This is what human women were attracted too?

He barely had any meat on his bones, hardly any muscle, and he was entirely too slender. He almost looked sick, in Vegeta's eyes. Why the hell was Bulma going out with this fool?

After realizing the shorter man wasn't going to offer his own hand out for a shake, Kei dropped his arm and stuck his hands in his pockets when they did begin to tremble. Whoever this man was, he was too intimidating for someone of his height.

Kei gulped and nearly flinched as Vegeta leaned in closer, causing him to lean further back, his eyes wide as the prince spoke in a calm, quiet, but clearly threatening tone, "One hair out of place on her head, your balls are mine," was all he said before he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Kei to tremble and reconsider his date.

Just as Vegeta reached the stairs, Bulma was descending and she glanced at him just as he glanced at her, his eyes racking up and down her form once more, this time jealousy flashing in the depths of his eyes, before it disappeared as he turned away.

Bulma frowned as she made her way to Kei and she tilted her head curiously at his posture. He looked pale, almost afraid and she glanced back at the stairs and then again at Kei, putting two and two together. Her frown deepened and she pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking, _damn you, Vegeta,_ before she approached Kei with a gentle smile.

"Hey… Sorry if he was rude to you, just ignore him. Vegeta's all bark and no bite," Bulma apologized and cringed at the same time. All bark and no bite may not be the truth, but she couldn't exactly be honest to a man who was clearly afraid of the father of her child.

Straightening, Kei nodded and gave her a smile as he attempted to push his fear away. For a moment, he had thought about canceling the date, faking a sudden stomach flu, and go home, but one look at her and he decided against it.

"Its fine," he said before he turned and offered her his arm and she smiled as she slipped her own through his.

The sensation of just touching him caused a dangerous feeling to flutter and with all her might, Bulma shoved it down as she told herself it was just dinner, but as they walked through the front door to a private limo waiting for them, Bulma knew she was in trouble. She smiled in thanks when he held the door open for her and she slipped inside to see another bouquet of roses in a vase next to some champagne and suddenly, Bulma was regretting her decision on the date.

But the moment Kei slipped inside and shut the door, she knew it was too late to turn back and they set off on a night she would never forget.

_oOo_

…_TBC…_

Uh-oh… Poor Bulma's dug herself a hole!

Join We're Just Saiyan Community on Google Plus (link on my profile) and watch me as the guest on the next live podcast on Monday (time to be determined, but will be announced on the community!). Hope to see you all there!

Until next time, my lovelies!

Crystal


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